Kerala High Court grants bail to P Krishnadas, lambasts cops

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted bail to P. Krishnadas, chairman of the Nehru Group of Institutions, an accused in the alleged assault on a former student of his college. A single bench criticised the police while granting bail to the accused and asked Krishnadas to execute a bond of Rs 1  lakh and sureties for the like amount. Krishnadas was arrested after a complaint filed by Shaheer Shoukath Ali,  a former student of the Nehru Law Academy, Lakkidi. The court observed that the cops had failed to understand the contradictions in the statement of the complainant.

Some persons were listed as both witnesses as well as complainants, it said. The court also criticised the police for framing non-bailable charges after arresting Krishnadas.  It  found that when the FIR was registered and even before his arrest,   bailable offences were registered.  The counsel for Krishnadas argued that the police were  trying to circumvent the bail order given to Krishnadas in the unnatural death case of Jishnu Pranoy. He argued that the act of police was  in violation of the apex court order that no one should be arrested without sufficient evidence. Pointing to the police failure  in the probe,  the court said that it had already restrained Krishnadas from entering the college.  So the police contention  that Krishnadas may destroy the evidence would not stand, it said.